Missouri
Missouri workers rally across state ahead of paid sick leave taking effect May 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Last November, Missourians voted in favor of Proposition A, which increased the state’s minimum wage and gives employees earned paid time off. As a house bill that would repeal the earned sick pay portion of the proposition makes its way through the Capitol, several workers rights groups organized rallies across the state, including in Kansas City.
Dozens gathered outside Oddly Correct Coffee at the corner of E 42nd and Troost Thursday afternoon in support of the proposition, including Fran Marion, a fast food worker and leader with the Missouri Workers Center. She says wishes she had paid sick leave while her children were growing up, but is happy her now grown children will soon no longer have to make the difficult decisions she had to. One of her children has a son who had to undergo open heart surgery at just three weeks old.
“If I had paid sick days, I wouldn’t have to worry about how my rents going to get paid, how I’m going to get food on the table, and I would be able to be with my sick child,” said Marion. “With paid sick days going into effect next month, it brings me comfort in knowing that Ray can take time off without losing a paycheck and have to suffer over choosing to keep a roof over their head or being home taking care of my grandson.”
Missouri Jobs with Justice, Missouri Workers Center, Stand Up KC, business owners, workers, and more rallied outside the coffee shop, including owner Mike Schroeder. He shared his shop’s success after raising the wages of workers years ago and encourages other businesses owners who may be unsure to keep an open mind.
“It was a gamble, but it worked,” said Schroeder. “People were happier, they did better work, our customers were happier, we saw a 20% increase in revenue after enacting living wages and paid sick leave.”
After the rally, the group took to the streets, going to businesses in Kansas City and speaking with owners to remind them of the changes coming next month. Employers must provide their employees with written notice of their earned paid sick leave rights by next Tuesday, April 15. Earned paid sick leave takes effect May 1.
This comes as a bill is currently making its way through the state capitol that looks to repeal the paid sick time mandate. House Bill 567 has already passed the House and is currently in the Senate. A lawsuit by Missouri business groups in the state wants the results of Proposition A thrown out.
The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments last month, with those who filed the suit requesting a decision preferably by April 15, but at the latest by May 1.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri Police investigating fatal shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri Police are investigating a fatal shooting in the area of 58th and Wabash just after 11 p.m. Monday night.
Police say they were on patrol at 55th and Prospect when they heard gunshots to the south and 911 received calls for sound of shots near 58th and Wabash.
Officers arrived and found a man unresponsive with gunshot wounds in front a residence there.
Police say he died on the scene.
Police say their preliminary investigation indicates the victim was in front of the residence with one or more people when they heard gunshots and realized the victim was struck.
There is no information on a suspect and no one is currently in custody.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
Missouri
‘I was on that plane last weekend’: Topeka skydiver reacts to fatal Missouri plane crash
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Topeka man Chris Phelps knew the passengers killed in Sunday’s Butler, MO., plane crash well.
“I was on that plane last weekend, on that specific plane,” he said.
Phelps has been skydiving 318 times, including several jumps with the late passengers.
“I’ve got friends of mine not only that passed away in the drop zone, but I got friends of mine that were at the drop zone that witnessed it, and they couldn’t do anything,” he said. “From what I understand, the fuel was too hot, and they had to sit there and watch their friends perish.”
He says the friends he’s made skydiving are like family.
“It’s been very rough, you know,” Phelps said. “The skydiving community is a family. We’re a bunch of, I call it, to the people I describe to my friends and family, we’re a bunch of misfits that found a place to fit in.”
And he’s relying on the skydiving community as he grieves Sunday’s incident.
“We’ve been talking to people on the phone, calling or texting and through Facebook, things like that,” Phelps said. “Just kind of be there and support each other, tell stories about each other, everybody that we know.”
Phelps said he could have actually been on the plane with them if not for other plans this weekend.
“My prayers go out to them, for sure,” he said.
Phelps says he plans to continue skydiving, as he calls the crash a plane incident, rather than a skydiving incident.
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Aviation attorney provides insight on deadly Butler plane crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A plane crash on Sunday morning in Butler, Missouri left twelve people dead. However, with multiple local and federal agencies looking into and investigating the crash, questions remain.
Later Sunday afternoon, FOX4 spoke with aviation attorney Pablo Rojas about what could have happened or led to the crash.
Rojas says that while the aircraft that crashed, a Pacific Aerospace PAC750XL, is a common aircraft used for skydiving operations, the pending investigations could provide final details on what occurred.
“There are certainly larger aircraft out in the market that can be used for 20, 30 passengers. So, this sounds kind of close to the limit. I don’t want to speak too rashly that it is, but that’s certainly one thing investigators are going to look at– both the number of occupants as well as just the size and weight. An aircraft isn’t just concerned with the number of people on board; it has to take off with a certain amount of weight, and that’s another detail that investigators will surely be looking at.”
However, Rojas went on to emphasize the tragic nature of the crash and what others should look for if they plan on taking part in a similar activity or experience.
“It’s one of the tragic aspects of this event– that, obviously, 11 people, which is not to minimize the loss of the pilot too, but 11 people left their homes or left where they work looking for a fun, recreational activity, and obviously it tragically ended in a huge loss of life,” he said. “I think any time people undertake any remotely dangerous or thrilling activity, it’s good to take a close look at the waiver provisions and understand that in the worst scenario, which obviously you don’t hope to happen anytime you go on one of these activities, that you’re preserving your rights as much as you can.”
Another importance in the context of Sunday’s events is the difference between commercial flights and private operations. As Rojas deals with litigation surrounding flights of all kinds, he offered his insight.
For example, large commercial flights have many more checks and balances when it comes to taking off. A private flight, like a skydiving operation, may have minimal time in between takeoffs.
“You know, recently almost every flight that I board is delayed for one reason or another, and probably half the time it’s some double or triple checking of maintenance. That is way beyond what happens in private and small aircraft settings,” Rojas said.
Reports show that Sunday’s flight that crashed went down sometime around 11:30 a.m.
According to flight radar, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL took off from the airport Sunday morning, and reached an altitude of about 13,400 feet before descending for about two minutes at a rapid speed of 227 mph.
The aircraft is capable of holding up to 17 passengers and serves as a common plane for large skydiving parties.
The same type of plane took off earlier Sunday morning for a separate flight. Flight Aware shows the aircraft leaving the airport at 9:20 a.m. and returning about 22 minutes later. It then went back up in the air about an hour later.
For more information on attorney Pablo Rojas, his firm and aviation law, click here.
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